Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk and cheese from cows fed extrudedoilseeds

Extruded oilseeds were fed to 24 dairy cows to study the influence on the c onjugated linoleic acid content of milk and cheese. Cows were fed one of th ree diets that contained forage and grain in a ratio of 47:53. A control di et containing 13.5% soybean meal was compared with diets containing 12% ful l fat extruded soybeans or 12% full fat extruded cottonseed. The control, e xtruded soybean, and extruded cottonseed diets contained 2.73, 4.89, and 4. 56% fatty acids, respectively. Measurements were made during the last 5 wk of the 8-wk experiment. The DM intakes and 3.5% fat-corrected milk yields w ere higher for cows fed the extruded soybean and extruded cottonseed diets than for cows fed the control diet. A tendency for lower fat and protein co ntents in the milk of cows fed the extruded soybean and extruded cottonseed diets was detected. Most of the Cls fatty acids were increased in the milk and cheese when extruded soybeans and cottonseeds were fed. The conjugated linoleic acid content in milk and cheese increased a mean of 109% when ful l fat extruded soybeans were fed and increased 77% when cottonseeds were fe d compared with the conjugated linoleic acid content when the control diet was fed. Processing the milk into cheese did not alter the conjugated linol eic acid content. The conjugated linoleic acid content of milk and cheese c an be increased by the inclusion of full fat extruded soybeans and full fat extruded cottonseeds in the diets of dairy cows.